2014 Day 116 – Philippians 1

26 Saturday Apr 2014

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Today we begin the book of Philippians which is another letter written by Paul. The purpose of the letter is to strengthen these believers in Philippi by showing them how true joy comes only through Jesus Christ. Each of the four chapters shows a different way we can experience joy despite our circumstances. Chapter 1 talks about finding joy in suffering; Chapter 2 is about finding joy in serving; Chapter 3 talks about finding joy in believing; Chapter 4 is about finding joy in giving.  As Philippians 1 talks through finding joy in suffering, Paul says in verses 27-28, 27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. We can find joy in knowing that despite our suffering, in the end, we are saved by the blood of Christ. 

2014 Day 115 – Ephesians 6

25 Friday Apr 2014

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The life of the believer can sometimes feel like a battle. And just like any battle, we must be equipped to fight and defend ourselves. Ephesians 6:14-17 describes this as The Armor of God, 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. While this list may seem like items we must provide for ourselves, it is critical to realize all armor comes from God through the power of the Holy Spirit. One of my biggest struggles in life is finding peace. The harder I try to attain peace, the more it eludes me because my peace cannot come from me, it can only come from God. When I let go and give God control and the ability to arm me for battle, I am able to face any struggle in my imperfect existence with His perfect power.

2014 Day 114 – Ephesians 5

24 Thursday Apr 2014

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Control over our own lives is sometimes hard to do. When we are children, we live according to what we want and when we want it. But as we grow in wisdom we learn to make choices based on potential consequences and desired outcomes. Ephesians 5:14-15 says, 15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 15 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. The biggest problem is not just in making wise choices, but also realizing the evils of this world are against us. Unless we live in the presence of God through the Holy Spirit, it is easy to quickly become hopeless. Through God’s presence and strength we are able to make wise choices and live in accordance to His grace and mercy.

2014 Day 113 – Ephesians 4

23 Wednesday Apr 2014

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Forgiveness is one of the hardest things for us to do. When we feel wronged or hurt, it is difficult to forgive. Ephesians 4:31-32 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. God forgave us of more than we could ever possibly need to forgive others. If we are to follow Christ’s example, then we are commanded to forgive for the wrong others have done in our lives. This does not mean trust is restored. Our trust should always be in God above all else. He is the only one who ever deserves our complete trust and He is the only one who is guaranteed to never let us down even when we don’t understand His will. His plan is perfect. 

2014 Day 112 – Ephesians 3

22 Tuesday Apr 2014

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One of the most difficult human endeavors is to grasp how big God’s love is for us. The second half of Ephesian 3:17 and all of 3:18 says, 17a And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. God’s love is multidimensional and beyond anything we could ever experience. God’s love is wide because it reaches out to everyone. His love is long because it spans the entire length of our lives, from birth to death, no matter where we are or how much we may or may not deserve it. His love is high because it reaches beyond the height of our highest elations. And His love is deep because it reaches to the depth of our suffering and even to death. We are never beyond the reach of God’s great love. Even when we feel lost and isolated His love is always in our presence and always within us.

2014 Day 111 – Ephesians 2

21 Monday Apr 2014

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Because of God’s love and Christ’s sacrifice for us, We are free from sin’s power over us. This is not because our desire to sin has gone away, but because God’s mercy has freed us from the penalty of our sin when it was destroyed on the cross. Ephesians 2:4-5 says, 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. Before we experienced God’s mercy we were slaves to the power of sin in our lives. But now we are alive with Christ and the power of sin no longer dictates who we are or what controls us. We must remember God’s love for us and recognize His mercy comes from that great love.

2014 Day 110 – Skit Guys: Grace

20 Sunday Apr 2014

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Happy Easter! He is RISEN!!!

The Skit Guys always produce some of the most amazing videos. This video does a great job of showing what it is all about. Remember, though Christ died on the cross through grace for our sins, it is all for His glory.

 

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2014 Day 109 – Ephesians 1

19 Saturday Apr 2014

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Today we begin the book of Ephesians. This book is another letter written by Paul to the church at Ephesus and the main purpose of this letter was to encourage and strengthen believers their faith. As I was reading, and since tomorrow is Easter Sunday, Ephesians 1:7-8 stood out to me, 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. The events on Easter give us the redemption and forgiveness of our sins. But there is another part to this passage which was brought on by the resurrection and is mentioned in verse 8; wisdom and understanding, which can only come with the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

2014 Day 108 – Philemon

18 Friday Apr 2014

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Today we read the relatively short book Philemon. This book is actually a letter written by Paul to Philemon who was probably a wealthy leader of the Colossian church. The purpose of the letter was to try and convince Philemon to accept and forgive his runaway slave, Onesimus, and to hopefully accept him as a brother in Christ. While Paul does not condemn slavery in any of his writings, he does make a bold statement when when he calls Odesimus Philemon’s brother in Christ. No matter what our status in life, whether financial or social, we are all equals in the body of Christ. More importantly, as a body of believers we must be intentional in our acceptance of all people no matter where they are in comparison to us individually.

2014 Day 107 – Acts 28

17 Thursday Apr 2014

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Today we finish up the book of Acts. While it is strange how the book ends abruptly, it is important to know this book is not the story of Paul, but the story of the spread of the Gospel. The book of Acts deals with the early history of the Christian church and it’s expansion beyond it’s beginnings in Jerusalem. It was not necessary to have an additional book or story written because at the end of Acts the gospel had finally reached the center of government and world trade. From there the Gospel would spread to the rest of the world. Because of these early beginnings, we are the beneficiaries of the sacrifices of these early believers. When things seem difficult or painful, it is important to remember God’s plan is perfect and He sees the bigger picture when we can’t.